Four principles of calcium supplementation for dogs

In recent years, many people have begun to pay attention to their own calcium supplement problems, and various types of calcium supplement products have also entered our lives. Since people need timely calcium supplements to meet the body's calcium needs, the answer is yes, and because dogs can't express some of the discomfort caused by calcium deficiency, it is more important to supplement calcium scientifically to dogs.

What kind of dog needs calcium supplements?

Different breeds and sizes of dogs have different calcium supplements at different ages. But dogs of any size do not need calcium supplements during lactation because they can get a lot of calcium from breast milk.

After weaning, mini dogs and small dogs fed with puppy food do not need calcium supplements, because puppy foods contain the right amount of calcium.

But large and medium-sized dogs should pay attention to the right amount of calcium at this time. Because the larger the dog's body size, the faster the growth rate, the greater the demand for calcium, the general puppy food contains calcium is very difficult to meet their growth needs. If you feed your dogs homemade food, you should pay more attention to giving them timely calcium supplements.

In addition, if your dog eats animal liver or takes meat as its staple food for a long time, you should also supplement calcium in an appropriate amount. Because this kind of food not only contains low calcium, but also contains high concentration of vitamin A, long-term intake of high concentration of vitamin A can inhibit the absorption of calcium. So you should immediately get rid of the habit of long-term liver feeding and replenish calcium for it in time. Cymbal

What is the harm of calcium deficiency in dogs?

If there is insufficient calcium supplement in puppies, there may be valgus of ribs, deformation of wrist joint and elbow joint of forelimb, O-shaped legs in small dogs, and serious deformation of forelimbs in large and medium-sized dogs. If found to be not timely, improper treatment may also cause permanent claw or claudication.

In addition, the age of 2 to 3 months is an important period for intervertebral disc formation in puppies. If calcium is deficient at this time, some breeds prone to intervertebral disc disease (such as Peking Dog, Xishi Dog, Pagodle, Poodle, etc.) will occur in adulthood, causing lifelong pain.

When the puppy reaches the age of 4-6 months, the deciduous teeth in the mouth begin to fall off and the permanent teeth begin to grow. If the lack of calcium at this time will cause deciduous teeth do not fall off, permanent teeth grow slowly, the enamel layer is thin, the structure is not firm, prone to double rows of teeth or permanent teeth uneven situation. In adulthood, these dogs are prone to diseases such as halitosis and gingivitis, which directly affect their longevity.

When dogs reach adulthood, dogs fed with dog food do not need to take calcium supplements alone. Because the growth and development of bones and other organs of dogs has basically stopped during this period, the demand for calcium is very small. If you are a male dog and a pregnant and lactating bitch, you still need to supplement a lot of calcium, because semen, embryonic dogs and breast milk will lead to a large loss of calcium from the body. If it can not be replenished in time, it will use the calcium in the body's calcium bank to cause osteoporosis.

Postpartum lactating bitches will cause acute postpartum calcium deficiency due to low blood calcium concentration. Its symptoms are limb convulsions, body stiffness, body temperature can rise to more than 40 ℃, and even cause coma and death.

When large dogs enter old age after 8 years old, the intake of calcium decreases and the loss increases because of endocrine and other reasons. At this time, small dogs should be fed old dog food, otherwise they should be artificially supplemented with calcium while maintaining a certain amount of exercise. Otherwise, it will cause osteoporosis and increase the incidence of bone spurs and fractures.

How to supplement calcium for dogs?

There is no obvious difference between the method of calcium supplement for dogs and people, generally speaking, calcium supplement products used by people are also suitable for dogs. In addition, daily drink more milk or eat some dairy products and cartilage and other foods, and reduce the liver and other vitamin A content of food intake, is also conducive to calcium supplement.

If your dog already has symptoms of calcium deficiency, you should take medication.

It is recommended that you choose not too high price of calcium carbonate, calcium lactate while injection of vitamin D3, oral vitamin D2, vitamin D3 pills.

Of course, if conditions permit, you can also choose some imported brands of pet calcium, because these products are still more professional.

How much calcium should be given to dogs?

The specific amount of calcium supplement should be how much, depending on the breed, body type, age and calcium deficiency of the dog, it is best to go to the animal hospital to listen to the advice of professional veterinarians.